Many existing software services or hardware devices allow for the setting of “If This Then That” (IFTTT) rules to be followed by an always-processing artificial intelligence agent. Examples may include “If temperature is above X, activate air conditioning,” in a thermostat, or “If an email contains the keyword ‘X’ in its subject line, forward the email as a text to the recipient's mobile phone,” in an email client.
IFTTT rules may be custom-written by a user in a scripting interface or application programming interface (API) offered by the service provider or manufacturer. This solution can be highly labor intensive and prone to error if the conditionals are improperly expressed or fail to take into account unconscious expectations by the user. Alternatively, rules already written by other human users may be selected and downloaded from a central database or curated collection of options intended to work with particular devices or software services. This solution makes it unlikely that the downloaded rule will be as applicable to a user's specific needs as a custom-written solution would be.
The rise of the so-called Internet of Things (IOT) and widespread incorporation of wireless communications interfaces into “smart appliances” has led to the possibility of fine control over and sensor feedback from a number of household devices in communication with a user's computing device.